Click to See Complete Forum and Search --> : XML & Flash - help about graphics


DigitALL
04-09-2010, 07:31 PM
Hello folks,

I am a noob with XTML and read the forum here and elsewhere but could not find something similar. I have a flash/XML website template but unfortunately the designer did not provide the fla files to be able to include a small png logo. From the xml files you could change all the content and pictures so it should be easy to build the site but if you wish to alter the flash behavior, forget it. I tried to decompile with no success.

However, right on the front page where the company logo appears, you just type the company name and it is done. But I wish to add a small png file, I have no idea how to do that.

Here is a fragment of the provided xml file:

<Sections id="menu">

<Menu btnName="FOLIO" p="35" f="Folio" title="OUR WORK" css="folio"></Menu>
<Menu btnName="FOLIO Gallery" p="35" f="Folio" title="OUR WORK" css="folio"></Menu>
<Menu btnName="MUSIC" p="45" f="Music" title="MUSIC" css="folio"></Menu>
<Menu btnName="MOVIES" p="55" f="Videos" title="VIDEOS" css="folio"></Menu>
<Menu btnName="ABOUT US" p="25" f="About" title="ABOUT US" css="about"></Menu>
<Menu btnName="ABOUT US 2" p="25" f="About" title="ABOUT US" css="about"></Menu>
<Menu btnName="NEWS" p="15" f="News" title="NEWS &amp; UPDATES" css="news" ></Menu>
<Menu btnName="NEWS 2" p="15" f="News" title="NEWS &amp; UPDATES" css="news" ></Menu>
<Menu btnName="CONTACT" p="65" f="Contact" title="CONTACT US" css="contact"></Menu>
</Sections>

<Sections id="logo">
<data>XML DESIGN</data>
<data>VISUAL EFFECTS STUDIO <br/>PARIS, FRANCE</data>
</Sections>

and here is the only html (index):

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>

<title>Flash Design</title>
<link href="styler.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<script src="AC_RunActiveContent.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<style type="text/css">
<!--
body {
background-color: #000000;
margin-left: 0px;
margin-top: 0px;
margin-right: 0px;
margin-bottom: 0px;
}
-->
</style></head>


<body>
<script type="text/javascript">
var so = AC_FL_RunContent( 'codebase','http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0','width','100%','height','100%','src','base','quality','high','pluginsp age','http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash','movie','base' );
so.addParam('allowScriptAccess', 'always');
//end AC code
</script><noscript><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" width="100%" height="100%">
<param name="movie" value="base.swf">
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always">
<param name="quality" value="high">
<embed src="base.swf" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="100%" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed>
</object></noscript>
</body>

</html>


So how could I include some graphics in the "logo" section, please?

Thank you for reading this message. :)

Eye for Video
04-10-2010, 10:36 AM
Well I'm not sure if you are intending to somehow use the xml file to "include" the graphic or not. If so, then someplace in the Flash file there would need to be a movie clip holder or some other container to hold the image. And since you don't have the .fla to edit and add that holder, I don't see how you can get it in with the xml file.
So, that being said, here are a couple of ideas. One is to create a new Flash .fla file with the same dimensions as the old one, create 2 layers, import the old .swf into the library, then place it on the stage in the bottom layer, then add the logo in a layer above it. Then publish. That may or may not work, depending on how the actionscript was set with the paths to the data, etc.
A second way would be to just leave the old .swf on the Web page as is and use CSS, z-indexing, and a declared position to place the logo over the top of the Flash content but in it's own <div>, making it look like it's part of the original Flash design.
Here is an example of a Flash video player placed over the top of a Flash background image, each in their own separate <div>. It looks like the video player is part of the graphic design but it's not, it's positioned over the image using CSS, z-indexing, and a declared position.
http://www.worldbarefootcenter.com/index.html
Perhaps you could do the same thing with your logo.
Best wishes,
Eye for Video
www.cidigitalmedia.com

DigitALL
04-10-2010, 02:32 PM
Well I'm not sure if you are intending to somehow use the xml file to "include" the graphic or not. If so, then someplace in the Flash file there would need to be a movie clip holder or some other container to hold the image. And since you don't have the .fla to edit and add that holder, I don't see how you can get it in with the xml file.
So, that being said, here are a couple of ideas. One is to create a new Flash .fla file with the same dimensions as the old one, create 2 layers, import the old .swf into the library, then place it on the stage in the bottom layer, then add the logo in a layer above it. Then publish. That may or may not work, depending on how the actionscript was set with the paths to the data, etc.
A second way would be to just leave the old .swf on the Web page as is and use CSS, z-indexing, and a declared position to place the logo over the top of the Flash content but in it's own <div>, making it look like it's part of the original Flash design.
Here is an example of a Flash video player placed over the top of a Flash background image, each in their own separate <div>. It looks like the video player is part of the graphic design but it's not, it's positioned over the image using CSS, z-indexing, and a declared position.
http://www.worldbarefootcenter.com/index.html
Perhaps you could do the same thing with your logo.
Best wishes,
Eye for Video
www.cidigitalmedia.com

Thank you very much for this elaborated reply Eye for Video! :)

The idea to include the swf in another flash is awesome but I don't thing it will work because there are two swf and one don't know what it does and all layout has lots of script dependencies that are picked from a folder.

To place the pic in top is even better, I will look into that but unfortunately the site layout has wide semitransparent vertical bar which is the menu and it disappear when there is no "mouse-over". The XML above is part of that menu. If I would place an image on top, would disappear with the menu, appearing to be part of the menu?

Eye for Video
04-10-2010, 03:59 PM
Since it's a logo, you don't want that to disappear do you? My thought was to put the logo in a separate <div> posititioned in the appropriate place over the top of everything. It would not disappear with the menu.
To make it disappear would require some extra work but I suppose it could be done.
EfV

DigitALL
04-11-2010, 11:10 PM
Hello again,

I am trying from some time the link you provided: http://www.worldbarefootcenter.com/index.html
but it seems to be off, I can not connect. Is it something temporary?

Eye for Video
04-12-2010, 07:49 AM
I think the server was temporarily off line. We were doing a massive video upload and may have overloaded it...
but it seems to be working now.
Take a look, you'll see how one Flash graphic (the video player) is placed over the top of the background graphic (which also happens to be Flash.
EfV

DigitALL
04-13-2010, 09:21 AM
I got the site but I have no clue how to use index Z with CSS but most importantly how to include a CSS in a XML but in a specific place. Could please help me?

Eye for Video
04-13-2010, 11:51 AM
Think of your project as having 3 different parts, which you will stack one on top of the other. A main background, the xml menu bar, and then the Logo you want to add. The logo will not be part of either the background or the menu, but rather will be in it's own container in a layer above both of them.
For more details on using z-indexing and CSS:
http://www.w3schools.com/Css/pr_pos_z-index.asp
z-indexing only works with <div>s that have a declared position:
http://www.w3schools.com/Css/css_positioning.asp
Here is a sample page with 3 layers, 2 which have text in them and 1 with a simple Flash animation. In this sample the Flash is sandwiched between the 2 text layers.
http://www.cidigitalmedia.com/tutorials/flash_div.html
View the source code, copy and paste it into a blank html page, change the content and/or play with the positioning and z-indexing to learn how it all works.
Best wishes,
Eye for Video
www.cidigitalmedia.com